Hotel's case against VECO still with ERC

CEBU, Philippines - The hearing of the case filed by Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino against the Visayan Electric Company before the Energy Regulatory Commission is not yet terminated.

ERC-7 Regional Director Joel Bontuyan said that the case filed last April is still pending in their Manila office.

“This Friday I learned there would be an expository presentation before one of our new commissioners,” Bontuyan said at the 888 News Forum at the Marco Polo Plaza yesterday.

Bontuyan said the case is still pending before ERC after both parties failed to reach an amicable settlement when VECO asked for P69 million but Waterfront offered only P2 million at the time.

Waterfront filed the consumer complaint which is administrative in nature before ERC after it received a demand letter from VECO asking for payment of the differential billing.

The hotel filed the complaint to prevent VECO from dis-connecting electricity as there was a threat to cut off their power connections.

But last Monday VECO filed criminal charges against Waterfront for allegedly cheating on its electric consumption since August 2007 until February 2011 when the alleged pilferage was discovered.

During this time, the hotel reportedly consumed 27 million kilowatt-hours of electricity and, therefore, owes VECO P168 million including the 25-percent surcharge and inspection costs.

VECO filed the complaint for violation of Republic Act 7832 or the Anti-Electricity and Electric Transmission Lines Pilferage Act before the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office.

Waterfront, in an earlier statement, said that these issues may already have been ventilated and submitted for resolution before ERC and a cease-and-desist order against VECO has been issued.

Named respondents are former hotel manager Marco Protacio, the hotel’s area general manager for Visayas and Mindanao, Waterfront president Kenneth Gatchalian, resident manager Carlo Marcelo Sainz, group chief engineer Ferdinand Vincent Lazaro, chief engineer Loulainetto Lauron and assistant engineer Jose Francis Cañizares. – (FREEMAN)